The hometown disadvantage
by Kathy Matuschka
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And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honour except in his own town and in his own home’ (Matthew 13:57).
It’s easy to imagine that Jesus, as the Son of God, came in his final form and did not continue to develop as a human during his earthly ministry. But that would not make human sense; it would seem to be denying Jesus’ humanity. Just as Jesus grew in physical stature, surely once he began to use his gifts publicly, he was further empowered and equipped as a prophet and teacher, just as any of us might be.
As we considered yesterday, Jesus has taught extensively and powerfully, and the crowds are amazed at the authority with which he speaks. Even in Jesus’ hometown, they are amazed at his teaching and news of his miraculous powers. But they couldn’t get past the fact that they knew Jesus and his family before he exercised this authority, and they were somehow offended by who he had become.
Maybe you have experienced something similar. You know that God’s Spirit is doing something new within you, but your family system (for example, your biological family or your congregation) doesn’t want to know about it. One reason may be that the change in you disrupts the status quo and then challenge others to change!
This can be as difficult to negotiate as it is character-building! So you watch and wait … or you walk away. But you keep praying for your ‘hometown’ and that one way or another, they will receive the blessings you so deeply wanted to share with them.
Dear Jesus, you know what it is to be human. You even know what it is to be limited in your potential. Give me such trust in your resurrection power and authority over the difficult situations of my life that I can walk away and leave things with you. Amen.
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